Man unearths 72-year-old video of his grandparents visiting Disneyland – AND they meet Walt himself
From vintage rides to a much more empty park, the fascinating video shows how Disney has changed over the years
A SECRET Disneyland video was unearthed after 72 years and it brings the park to life in its 1950s heyday.
Jeff Altman found the footage, taken in 1956, of his grandparents visiting the newly-opened theme park.
Jeff wrote: “Shot by my grandfather on his Bell & Howell Filmo using 16mm Kodachrome film stock.
“This footage was taken a year after the California theme park opened.
“It was quite a surprise going through this and seeing my grandmother meeting Walt Disney himself.”
The photos show his grandmother shaking hands with Walt, as well as standing next to the pirate ship ride.
Other vintage rides that it captures include the teacups and the Dumbo ride.
Jeff's grandma is also seen having a donkey ride, and there is as dancing from Native Americans.
One Reddit user wrote: “The most amazing thing about this to me is seeing all of the empty land and orchards around the outside of the park.
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“It's the whole reason he built the park there... but it's just crazy to see that much emptiness around Disneyland.”
Another Reddit user wrote: “I actually think it’s a trip how much looks the same.
“The train and the opening area with the Mickey landscaping, Casey junior and the storybook boat ride, and even the Dumbo ride is almost exactly the same but with water, [the] Adventureland sign... great job on restoration.”
Cartoon artist Walt was inspired to open Disneyland after visiting Griffith Park in Los Angeles with his daughters Sharon and Diane, and seeing them riding the merry-go-round there.
For inspiration, Walt visited amusement parks like Tivoli Gardens in Denmark, Children’s Fairyland in California and Bekonscot Model Village and Railway in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.
When the park opened on July 17, 1955, 28,000 people turned up, although only around half of these were official guests – the rest jumped the fence to get in.
Characters such as Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto, Dumbo, Peter Pan, Captain Cook and Snow White were all in attendance.
Celebrities who turned up for the opening included Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jnr and Ronald Reagan.
The opening day was seen as a failure, mostly due to a heatwave of 38 degrees which caused drinking fountains to run dry and ladies’ high heels to sink into the warm tarmac.
Walt called the opening day of the park “Black Sunday” and vowed to hold another opening day for the park to make up for the bad publicity it had generated.
A second opening day on July 18 was considered Disneyland’s official opening day.
Back then the rides and attractions on offer included Disneyland Railroad, Main Street Cinema, Canal Boats of the World, the Jungle Cruise and the Mark Twain Riverboat.
Admission cost just $1.
Walt Disney constantly added to and updated the park, bringing in new rides and by the 1960s you could tour the Sleeping Beauty Castle itself.
In 1956 he said: "The park means a lot to me in that it's something that will never be finished.
“Something that I can keep developing, keep plussing and adding to—it's alive. It will be a live, breathing thing that will need changes."
“The last picture I just finished—the one I just wrapped up a few weeks ago—it's gone; I can't touch it. There's things in it I don't like? I can't do anything about it.
“The park is that. Not only can I add things but even the trees will keep growing; the thing will get more beautiful every year.”
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